Contacts with sub folders to organize contacts

[PJ]

Hi All,

I have a big contacts list and have created several sub folders, like
groups, and would like to set up links of some sort so that the contacts in
these groups are actually links to the big contacts list. any lights in any
direction would help a lot. Thanks in advance for your help.

PJ

 

[Brian Tillman]

I have a big contacts list and have created several sub folders, like
groups, and would like to set up links of some sort so that the
contacts in these groups are actually links to the big contacts list.
any lights in any direction would help a lot.

I don't think Outlook can do what you want exactly as you want it. Have you
considered using categories and filtered views?

 

[PJ]

Thanks for your fast respond Brian. So is it possible to pull outlook
contacts from an access or sql database? Thanks.

 

[Brian Tillman]

Thanks for your fast respond Brian. So is it possible to pull outlook
contacts from an access or sql database? Thanks.

Outlook can certainly import from Access. I don't know about SQL.

 

[Judy Gleeson \(MVP Outlook\)]

can you go back a step and explain what you hope to achieve? Contacts can
be used in many ways, there may be a good solution for you.

--

Regards

Judy Gleeson
MVP Outlook

www.judygleeson.com
www.deskdoctors.com
Want to be more productive? Outlook 2003 user? Read "7 settings all Outlook
2003 users should change" at www.pragmatix.com.au

SOON!
launching in August 2008:
www.executiveassistantsonline.com

..

 

[PJ]

thanks. I have many groups with public contacs and some have duplicates.
And when someone updates one, they have to notify the other to update the
other contact. and in some occassions one of the duplicated contacts never
got updated. So i'm hoping to have one main global contact, that has sub
folders so that the users can easily go to their folders to update - but
really just linking from the main. So if two departments use same contact -
they are actually looking at just one contact. Thanks.

 

[Judy Gleeson \(MVP Outlook\)]

What I suggest is ONE contacts folder so there is only one of each Contact
as making one department notify the other is never likely to be an effective
methodology as there's no motivation to do it and it involves work! Humans
tend to avoid doing extra steps even if they are told they must.

My suggested solution means

1. each department can have it's own filtered views
2. you can make a New Field showing who "owns" each Contact (or use
Categories if you're not using that field yet)
3 you can make whatever additional Fields people find useful set up as
many views as you like that suit different people

In my view, corporate data needs to be stored centrally and managed
carefully or it becomes out of date and loses its value. I have worked with
18,000 Contacts in a single Public folder with Categories, views etc and it
worked well. Many of my clients have tried it successfully too.

Regards

Judy Gleeson
MVP Outlook

www.judygleeson.com
www.deskdoctors.com
Want to be more productive? Outlook 2003 user? Read "7 settings all Outlook
2003 users should change" at www.pragmatix.com.au

SOON!
launching in August 2008:
www.executiveassistantsonline.com

..

 

[PJ]

Thanks a lot Judy!
I will go ahead a convince everyone to use one master contacts with filter
view for each department.

What I suggest is ONE contacts folder so there is only one of each Contact
as making one department notify the other is never likely to be an
effective methodology as there's no motivation to do it and it involves
work! Humans tend to avoid doing extra steps even if they are told they
must.

My suggested solution means

1. each department can have it's own filtered views
2. you can make a New Field showing who "owns" each Contact (or use
Categories if you're not using that field yet)
3 you can make whatever additional Fields people find useful set up as
many views as you like that suit different people

In my view, corporate data needs to be stored centrally and managed
carefully or it becomes out of date and loses its value. I have worked
with 18,000 Contacts in a single Public folder with Categories, views etc
and it worked well. Many of my clients have tried it successfully too.

Regards

Judy Gleeson
MVP Outlook

www.judygleeson.com
www.deskdoctors.com
Want to be more productive? Outlook 2003 user? Read "7 settings all
Outlook 2003 users should change" at www.pragmatix.com.au

SOON!
launching in August 2008:
www.executiveassistantsonline.com

.